In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits and nuts, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine, peach, plum, apricot, cherry, and almond seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of almond tree, which has been denominated varietally as "Morley". The present variety was selected in 1982 by us in a cultivated area of our experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). This hybrid seedling resulted from using Texas Almond (unpatented) as the selected seed parent and an unnamed late blooming almond seedling as the selected pollen parent. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of almond tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting, and such reproduction of plant and nut characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects.
The tree of the present variety is most similar to that of its seed parent, the Texas (unpatented), by being vigorous and upright, but is distinguished therefrom by blooming one week later and by being a more consistent and heavier producer. The nuts produced by the present variety are also similar to those of the Texas variety by having kernels that are medium in size and dark in color, but are distinguished therefrom by being much less susceptible to doubling, by maturing two weeks earlier and by having shells that are more easily removed from the kernels by mechanical shelling processes with very little scratching and breaking.
The present variety differs significantly from the well known Nonpareil Almond (unpatented) variety in several ways, but most distinctively by blooming and harvesting approximately two weeks later.